Originally Posted by GMMAT

3 questions:

1. From a management standpoint, does it matter if the deer was recovered.....or not?

2. What you're gonna find is....a disproportionate # of hunters who feel that any deer NOT recovered.....automatically lived/lives to see another month ('day' is too subjective).

3. Are you concerned about deer that were wounded.....but lived?

I've taken 26 whitetails over the last 4 seasons (all bowkills). I have a good idea I killed one that was not recovered. That number could be higher....but there's NO WAY (barring eyewitness accounts......over an extended period of time) that this could be substantiated (one way or another).